March 30th, 2011

H-Town Showdown: #4 Rudyard’s British Pub vs. #5 Catalina Coffee

Welcome to our H-Town Showdown series. Our brackets are seeded and the contenders for the title are ready to go. Each Wednesday we’ll present another match-up. There will be four weeks of voting for each competition in each round. So rally up your friends, followers and fans. This will be a true test of attrition.

Once again in our #4 vs. #5 match-up we come across two great contenders that should provide us with a gripping battle. Their specialties couldn’t be more different. Catalina Coffee has dominated the Houston bean scene and Rudyard’s British Pub has been a magnet for music and craft beer. Who will win? Only you can decide.

Seed #4: Rudyard’s British PubBars that can turn into decent music venues in a split second are increasingly difficult to come by in Houston. Playing host to Houston’s indie music scene isn’t all that Rudyard’s is good for. They’ve opened up a new corner for darts, shuffleboard and billiards (ok, fine, pool… but it’s a British pub and I thought I would stay in character for a little while longer). Let’s not forget the outstanding bathrooms with some of the greatest pisser poetry that we’ve ever seen—bring your own sharpie or paint pen. Rudyard’s also goes the extra mile with craft beer selection and even offers beer dinners once a month for food/brew pairings. They have a little of something for everyone in their special corner in Montrose, and you can tell right away when you walk in because there’s a cross-section of every Houston demographic hanging out when you walk in.

Seed #5: Catalina CoffeeIf we have to hear Stephan rave one more time about how much he loves Catalina we might have to fire him. That being said, we had never taken the time to stop by on our own. Maybe it was because we felt like we weren’t cultured enough to truly appreciate and value the coffee that Max Gonzalez serves from his spot on Washington. Maybe it was because the location always seems cramped and crowded. We tossed those injustices aside and finally ventured in for a steaming cup of Guatemalan espresso recently and learned that in our hearts, we too just like Stephan, have always been fans. It’s truly a remarkable local operation, with Max’s Amaya Roasting providing most of the beans.

The Final Jabs
- Music. Point Rudyard’s.
- Art. Point Catalina.
- Washington Ave vs. Montrose.
- Rudyard’s has a full menu. At Catalina you’re lucky to score a pastry.
- Catalina opens at the wee hours of the morning.
- Rudyard’s is open until the wee hours.